This invention relates generally to connection of wire and wire terminal components to terminal pins connectable to a circuit board; and more particularly the invention concerns interconnection and interfitting of terminal and header structures to connector structures, and to locking interconnection of a wire connector to the terminal and header structures.
There is need for apparatus of the type referred to, and in particular there is need for such apparatus in which the components are easily assembled and remain assembled due to interlocking, and in which they may be easily assembled to a circuit board.
It is a major object of the invention to provide simple, effective and highly useful apparatus meeting the above needs. Basically, and in one form, the invention comprises
a) at least one row of mounting terminals to be received in openings in the board,
b) header structure associated with the row of terminals,
c) support structure having openings to pass the terminals and support the header structure,
d) and connector structure to interfit the terminals and interlock to the support structure,
e) the connector structure adapted to carry wire terminals electrically connectable to the mounting terminals.
As will be seen, a projection may be provided on the support structure to interlock to said connector structure; and the projection and connector structure may have interengagable camming surfaces to deflect the projection in response to fitting of the connector structure on the mounting terminals.
It is another object to provide two longitudinally parallel rows of such mounting terminals, and in which the header structure is associated with the two rows. Typically, the mounting terminals in each of the rows extend laterally of mounting terminals in the other of the rows. Also, the header structure may include multiple heads respectively associated with the mounting terminals, certain pairs of heads extending in adjacent relation and defining break-away structure.
A further object is to provide such heads or headers so that selective break-away of groups of headers and associated mounting terminals is enabled.
Yet another object is to position the support structure for mounting on a circuit board, between the board and the header structure so that the mounting terminals may pass through interlock notches in the support structure.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following specification and drawings, in which: